Hermann Gröhe has been active in political affairs since his early high school days. He was born on February 25, 1961, in Uedem in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, as the son of two high school teachers. Hermann Gröhe studied law at the University of Cologne and is a licensed lawyer. As a member of the moderately conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU) he was chairman from 1989 –1994 of Germany’s “Junge Union” (Young Christian Democrats), the largest political youth organization in Europe.

Since 1994 he has been an elected member of the German Parliament, Deutscher Bundestag, and represents the constituency of Neuss in NRW. Presently he is serving as the Chief Legal Advisor for his parliamentary group, the coalition of the Christian Democratic and Christian Social Unions (CDU/CSU), and belongs as such to the executive board of his caucus. Due in part to his excellent knowledge of the Near East, he was appointed as the CDU/CSU caucus spokesman on the first factfinding committee in the 16th legislative period, which is investigating the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND). In addition to these responsibilities, Hermann Gröhe serves on the Foreign Relations Committee.

From 1998 - 2005 he was the CDU/CSU parliamentary group spokesman on the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid. In this capacity he championed the causes of freedom of religion and faith, freedom of the press and expression, and children’s and women’s rights. Since 2001 he has been serving on the board of trustees of the German Institute for Human Rights and is a member of the executive board of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In September 2001 he was elected as chairman of the CDU in the Rhine County of Neuss. As an active Christian of the Protestant faith, Hermann Gröhe was elected in November 1997 to the National Synod and the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD). The EKD is made up of 23 Lutheran, Reformed and United regional institutionalized churches with a total membership of 25.6 million. The Council is made up of 15 lay members and clergy and is responsible for ensuring cooperation between the church agencies and associations, for representing Protestant Christianity in the public sphere, and commenting on issues of religious and social life. Since 2000 he serves as chairman of the “Diakonisches Werk”, the service and relief organization of the EKD in his hometown Neuss. He is co-editor of the nationwide Protestant magazine “Chrismon”. He has earned a well-deserved reputation for genuine concern in civic associations in his hometown, including, for instance, membership in the advisory board of “NOAH gGmbH”, which creates work for the long-term unemployed and for youth from difficult milieus. He and his wife, Heidi, have four children: Bernhard, Cornelius, Matthias and Johanna.

Member of the National Synod and the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany 1975
Member of the Junge Union - 1977
Spokesman of the 20-member "Young group" in the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group
1998-2005
Spokesman on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid of the CDU/CSU-Parliamentary Group
Deputy member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs - Since 1999
Member of the executive board of the Niederrhein District Union of the CDU - Since 2001
Chairman of the CDU Neuss - Since November 2005
Legal Advisor of the CDU/CSU-Parliamentary Group
Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee - Since April 2006
Spokesman of the CDU/CSU-Parliamentary Group on the first fact-finding committee in the 16th legislative term.